There were six cars in the lot when I arrived at 8:45am and the lot was full when I left. There's a large pothole as you approach, but otherwise the trailhead is easy to access. Vault toilet was open and stocked. NW Forest or America the Beautiful is required at this trailhead.
I originally set out on this hike to find Island and Rainbow lakes, but stopped short at the overlook to Olallie Lake. I was excited to explore a new-to-me trail. The highlight was solitude after the Granite Mtn turnoff and hearing snow geese ahead. The lowlight was getting hit by ice balls dropping from the trees. The trail is overall in very good shape and water crossings are still very passable. There was intermittent snow at higher elevations, but nothing I couldn't cross in trail runners. Also, there are a few boardwalks and some of the boards are loose, so good to watch your step in these parts. The highway noise is present for the first 2.5 miles. On the way back down we encountered many folks in the last mile, including a couple of off leash dogs.
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